


Whereof Yang Cannot Speak

by AthenaeGalea



Category: RWBY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-18
Updated: 2018-12-18
Packaged: 2019-09-22 03:49:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17052548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AthenaeGalea/pseuds/AthenaeGalea
Summary: Thereof Yang must be silent.An argument between Weiss and Yang over the proper usage of their room.





	Whereof Yang Cannot Speak

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not very happy with this, but after quite a lot of time trying to get it to work it's as good as it's getting, so here, have a thing.  
> With apologies to Wittgenstein for the title.

“You... philistine of a line of philistines! Have you no appreciation for any art not involving copious amounts of violence? I am, of course, using the term ‘art’ at the very limit of its acceptable meaning!”

Yang had just interrupted a fascinating conversation between Weiss and Blake on the effect of postmodernism on morality in fiction with a brief comment disparaging the highbrow nature of their conversation and then by playing a game the purpose of which, as far as the other two could tell, was to make a lot of noise and require Yang to join it in that endeavour at every moment of excitement, and Weiss was a little put-out.

“I’m also a fan of some romantic comedies, but nope, not really.”

This blasé response, of course, only further inflamed Weiss.

“Must you play that pitiful excuse for a waste of time  _ quite _ so close to us?”

“Damn it damn it damn it... phew. Sorry, Ice Queen, I wasn’t listening. I need to concentrate.”

Blake’s left ear twitched. This was not going to end well.

Weiss’s clenched fists and teeth told a story that left Blake very relieved Myrtenaster was leaning against the wall rather than immediately to hand. She stalked over to Yang.

“Pause that now or I  _ will _ turn it off.”

“But I’m!” She saw Weiss’s face. “ _ Fine _ .” She spun around, still sitting, performing a remarkable impression of a sullen child.

Blake now felt it necessary to intervene. “Yang, stop deliberately winding up Weiss. Weiss, it might be best if we continue this conversation in another room.” She reached out to Weiss to lead her outside, but Weiss gently slapped her hand away.

“No. She does  _ not _ get to do this.”

Yang smiled brilliantly up at Weiss, because this was just too much fun to stop. Blake glared, causing her to adopt a pose of ironic attention towards Weiss, which Blake thought would have to do.

Weiss, focused on her target, had missed the byplay. Far too used to insincere respect, she did not let that faze her either.

“Right. Now that I have your  _ undivided _ attention-”

“ _ Weiss _ .” Blake thought this had gone quite far enough. She’d used Weiss’s focus on Yang to put a hand on her shoulder and start to drag her out of the room.

“Blake! I-” Blake returned a level gaze. Weiss turned back to Yang, “Wait right there.” She allowed herself to be led into the corridor.

Blake glared at Weiss, ears pointed forwards and eyes narrowed. “What exactly are you trying to achieve?”

“What?”

“What exactly are you trying to achieve?”

“I’m trying to get us back to our conversation.”

“No you aren’t.”

Weiss finally slumped. “No. I wasn’t.”

“You were trying to win.” Weiss remained silent. Blake continued, “You were angry and let that get in your way. Now go in there and actually solve the problem.”

 

Yang was very curious about what Blake wanted to say. However, not even a hint of their quiet conversation reached past the door. She contented herself with smiling attentively at a surprisingly-subdued Weiss when they re-entered. Weiss drew herself up into full heiress-of-the-SDC mode.

“Yang, my actions earlier were uncalled-for. I apologise unreservedly for that. I sincerely hope that with compromise we can come to a mutually-satisfactory arrangement.”

Yang raised an eyebrow. Blake, despite her amusement at the approach Weiss had taken to conflict-resolution, was making it very clear that the time for having fun with Weiss had passed. “Right... well, I’ll go to another room. I’m not doing this each time, though.”

“I agree not to consider this incident to be a precedent.”

“Right...”

She packed up and got ready to leave. “Weiss, I am sorry about teasing you."

“Apology accepted. Now off you go.”

 

She turned back to Blake.

“So, you were arguing that the changing perception of warfare following the Great War led to a decrease in the strength of nationalist meta-narratives, which caused increasing moral nuance?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say it that strongly, but I think even the least sophisticated writers now are unwilling to have moral absolutes, and this seems to be the reason.”

“That makes a lot of sense. Though, to leave the topic slightly, I think there is a complaint to be made that some modern literature takes that rather too far, leaving, even within a defined moral system, an impression that since nothing is black or white, everything must be the same shade of grey.”

Blake smiled wryly, “Replacing a two-colour system which was thought to be too simplistic with a one-colour system. I can see that.”

Their discussion continued until dinner.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my ramblings. Comments appreciated as always.


End file.
